Shoe has position in politics? Never before as it does now. Iraqis divided over jail sentence for shoe thrower

Does Iraqi journalist Muntazer al-Zaidi deserve fifteen years in jail, or "a statue erected in his honor"?

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In a land replete with martyrs and miscreants, Iraqis are divided over which label applies to Muntazer al-Zaidi. The once obscure television journalist who shot to fame for hurling his footwear at then President George W. Bush during a Baghdad press conference late last year was sentenced on Thursday to three years in prison after being found guilty of "assaulting a foreign leader on an official visit." But despite the verdict of Baghdad's Central Criminal Court, many ordinary Iraqis still hail the 30-year-old Shi'ite shoe thrower as a national hero.

Al-Zaidi told the court last month that he could not control his emotions once Bush started speaking. "I had the feeling that the blood of innocent people was dropping on my feet during the time that he was smiling and coming to say bye-bye to Iraq with a dinner," he was quoted as telling the court. "So I took the first shoe and threw it, but it did not hit him. Then spontaneously I took the second shoe, but it did not hit him either. I was not trying to kill the commander of the occupation forces of Iraq." Bush nimbly ducked the leather projectiles and brushed off the matter.

Al-Zaidi pleaded not guilty and defended himself on patriotic grounds, saying his action was a "natural response to the occupation." He defiantly shouted, "Long live Iraq!" and "I will sacrifice for the sake of all of the martyrs" as his verdict was read out. And his sentiments are shared by many in the capital. "They should erect a statue in his honor, not put him in jail," said Abu Sayyed, a 55-year-old taxi driver in Baghdad's Karrada district.

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Photos courtesy of Evan Vucci / AP, Joseph Barrak / AFP / Getty, and theChive.com

Original Source: Time